Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ on Netflix, Ryan Murphy and Evan Peters’ Thriller About the Notorious Serial Killer

One of television’s kings of the crime drama has taken on a real American horror story with Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, this 10-episode Netflix miniseries attempts to retell the Dahmer murders from the victims’ point of view. 

DAHMER — MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A woman (Niecy Nash) tries to watch the news in her apartment, but her nighttime routine is interrupted by this sound of metallic whirring. Instead of looking confused or frustrated by the noise, she looks afraid. It’s an ominous sign of what’s to come.

The Gist: In 1991, a Black man by the name of Tracy Edwards ran half naked into the street and flagged down police officers, claiming that someone had tried to kill him. That man was Jeffrey Dahmer. A year later, Dahmer was convicted for multiple murders and given 15 life sentences in the state of Wisconsin as well as one life sentence in Ohio. He was responsible for 17 murders overall, some of them underage and nearly all of them men of color.

That’s the chilling story that stands at the center of Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. But instead of giving us another gory recreation of a notorious serial killer, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster is far more concerned with Dahmer’s many victims. That focus is evident from the very first episode.

Monster opens on the night of Jeffrey Dahmer’s (Evan Peters) arrest. However, it’s not Jeff’s face that we see first but that of Glenda Cleveland (Niecy Nash), his neighbor. She catches him in the hall to complain about the strong smells coming from him apartment. He deflects her, explaining away the stench with excuses of bad pork chops and dead fish, before going to a local gay club. That’s where he meets Tracy Edwards (Shaun J. Brown), a man he intends to make his latest victim.

For the first half of the episode, it seems as though everything is set to go Jeff’s disturbing way. He repeatedly threatens Tracy with a knife, forces him to watch The Exorcist III, handcuffs him, and takes his picture. But this time around, Jeff’s latest victim is able to escape. Monster starts with the event that would end Dahmer’s reign of terror.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Because of its source material, anyone who likes crime dramas will find this series compelling. But from a directorial standpoint, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is most similar to Mindhunter. The first episode is composed of long, beautifully composed scenes that slowly infuse each moment with budding tension. With this first episode directed by Carl Franklin, this is not the gorgeous and glamorous universe Murphy is known for. Monster strives for uncomfortable reality at every level, from its wearied set design to Peters’ monotone manner of speaking.

Our Take: Though Dahmer’s name is in the title of this show — twice — Monster doesn’t feel like Dahmer’s story. In that way, the series stands apart from the seemingly endless list of crime dramas based on real-life killers. The first shot and first line of Monster both belong to Glenda Cleveland (Nash). Peters’ portrayal of Dahmer is devoid of any of the charm or smart one-liners we’ve come to expect from TV serial killers. In fact, the most memorable lines from this first episode belong to either Nash’s Cleveland or Shaun J. Brown’s Tracy Edwards. Brown’s delivery of “You killed my people, motherfucker” is especially chilling. On nearly every level, Monster priorities the voices and narratives of Dahmer’s victims over the man himself. It’s a creative choice that makes the resulting series endlessly tense while giving this story the weight it deserves.

It’s also a narrative restructuring that feels nearly profound. For years, Dahmer has been portrayed as a crazed cannibal who managed to magically escape police. Monster’s take on this story feels more in line with the truth of this case. Jeffrey Dahmer was never a criminal mastermind, and most people around him knew he was doing something wrong. But because he targeted predominantly gay men of color and he was a white man, those endless warnings were ignored. Monster drags Dahmer down from his pedestal as one of America’s great boogeymen and instead points a finger at the racism and homophobia of the police.

All that being said, this is a slow burn that assumes you’re somewhat familiar with this case. Most of the stress in “Episode One” worked for this critic because I knew what was coming. If I didn’t, there’s a chance this somber pacing drift into boring territory instead of being quietly terrifying.

Sex and Skin: At one point, Tracy takes off his shirt and dances for Jeff in an attempt to buy some time. It’s way more horrifying than sexy.

Parting Shot: After spending the whole night watching news coverage of her neighbor’s arrest, Glenda Cleveland hears a banging on her door. An officer tells her that she has to leave her apartment immediately. The entire building is now a crime scene. In the background, men, women, and families hurriedly rush from their homes, confused about where to go next. Knowingly, Glenda asks the officer, “How many did you find?”

Sleeper Star: This honor belongs to Shaun J. Brown, who portrays Dahmer’s last victim, Tracy Edwards. From the way he looks at Jeff while sitting on a blood-stained mattress to how he sinks down to his knees when he finally finds the cops, Brown truly captures fear. It’s because he’s so good at portraying that raw emotion that this first episode is infused with an underlying current of sadness. Prior to Monster, Brown has starred in The Dropout, American Gigolo, and Dave.

Most Pilot-y Line: When the cops are looking in Jeff’s room for the key to Tracy’s handcuffs, Jeff says “I’ll find it. There’s a bunch of gay stuff in there.” Using his sexuality to misdirect the cops was a strategy the real Dahmer did use. But Peters’ awkward delivery of the line is almost funny.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Monster isn’t just well directed, written, and acted. It’s rewriting what a crime drama can look like if we stop glorifying murderers and start focusing more on systematic failures.